Revoke Power of Attorney Tasmania: Deed of Revocation and LTO Process

Telling your attorney "you're fired" doesn't revoke an enduring power of attorney in Tasmania. Until you execute a formal deed of revocation and register it with the Land Titles Office, the attorney's authority stays on the public register — and banks will continue to honour their instructions.

When You Might Need to Revoke

Common situations that trigger a revocation:

• Relationship breakdown with the named attorney — divorce, family dispute, or loss of trust
• The attorney has moved overseas or become unavailable long-term
• You want to appoint a different person — you can't simply add a new attorney to an existing EPOA; you revoke the old one and register a new one
• Changed financial circumstances — assets have become more complex and you need a Form 3 (restricted) instead of a Form 4 (general), or vice versa
• The attorney has died — if you named a sole attorney and they've passed away, the EPOA may have lapsed, but a formal revocation cleans the register

The Three-Step Revocation Process

Step 1: Execute a Deed of Revocation

The revocation must be a formal written instrument — a Deed of Revocation of Power of Attorney. You can download the prescribed form from the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE) website.

The deed must be:

• Signed by the principal (the person who originally granted the power)
• Witnessed by two independent adult witnesses, following the same witnessing rules as the original EPOA
• Dated

The principal must have cognitive capacity at the time of signing. If the principal has already lost capacity, they cannot revoke the EPOA — a family member would need to apply to TASCAT to have the power reviewed or the attorney removed.

Step 2: Register the Revocation with the LTO

The deed of revocation has no legal effect until it is registered with the Land Titles Office. Submit:

1. The original signed Deed of Revocation
2. A completed Form 5 Registration Application
3. The revocation registration fee: $135.24 (FY 2026–27, 69 fee units)

Lodge in person at the LTO (Level 1, 134 Macquarie Street, Hobart) or by mail (GPO Box 541, Hobart, TAS 7001). Processing takes two to four weeks.

Until the revocation is registered, the original EPOA remains active on the Powers of Attorney Register. Banks and institutions that rely on registry searches will continue to recognise the attorney's authority.

Step 3: Notify the Former Attorney

This is the step most people skip — and it creates real problems.

Under Tasmanian law, you must serve written notice of the revocation directly to the former attorney. The notice should:

• State that the EPOA has been revoked
• Provide the date of revocation
• Be delivered in a way you can prove (registered post, hand delivery with a witness, email with read receipt)

You should also notify every financial institution, bank, and organisation that holds a copy of the original EPOA. Until they're informed, some institutions may continue to accept instructions from the former attorney in good faith — and transactions completed before they receive notice may be difficult to unwind.

What Revocation Doesn't Undo

A revocation stops the attorney's authority going forward. It does not automatically reverse anything the attorney has already done while the EPOA was active.

If the attorney made transactions you didn't authorise, or you suspect financial abuse, that's a separate matter. Contact the Office of the Public Guardian, which has statutory powers under Section 17(1) of the Guardianship and Administration Act 1995 to investigate complaints about attorney conduct. In serious cases, TASCAT can remove the attorney and appoint an administrator to secure the estate.

Revoking an Enduring Guardianship

Revoking an enduring guardianship follows a similar process but through a different registry:

1. Complete the approved TASCAT revocation form
2. Have it witnessed by two independent adult witnesses
3. Submit it to TASCAT via a Service Tasmania outlet with the revocation fee ($62.72, FY 2026–27)
4. Notify the former guardian in writing

Both revocations — EPOA and enduring guardianship — can be done simultaneously if you're updating your entire estate plan.

Replacing What You Revoke

Most revocations happen because you need a different arrangement, not because you want no arrangement at all. After revoking, set up the replacement EPOA immediately — there's no grace period and no temporary protection. Until the new EPOA is registered, you're unprotected.

The Tasmania Power of Attorney Kit covers the full revoke-and-replace cycle, including the deed of revocation, the notification template, and the registration process for both the old and new documents.

See more Tasmania guides →